Gadisar Lake, Jaisalmer

Gadisar Lake is a man-made reservoir in Jaisalmer (State: Rajasthan) built in 1367 by Maharaja Gadsi Singh Ji. This is a scenic place where one can go for boating.

This tank outside the city walls, and in the olden days it was the main source of town's water supply. The lake is surrounded by small temples and shrines. A wide variety of waterfowl flock here in winter.

This lake located at the South of city is a natural low-land was dammed to catch every drop of rain water.

The beautiful arched gateway through which one can reach this lake is known as Teelon-ki Gate as it was constructed in 19th century by a very famous courtesan named Teelon. This is constructed with yellow sandstone and at the top of the gate is a small temple.

Poetry in Stone - 1

Temples all over India represent the rich cultural heritage. The ancient temples are richly carved and they behold ones attention for their craftsmanship.

One such architectural gem is Kailashnath Temple of Kanchipuram (State: Tamil Nadu). This temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is surrounded by 64 small sub-shrines. They adorned with the sculptures of the Lord Shiva in different poses, representing a picture of different aspects of mythology.

The above image is a scene from battle field where Lord Shiva is fighting the evil forces.
The above image depicts the Lord in a dance form. The image above can be seen is the picture below at the top in a smaller form.

At the base of the platform one can see the ancient inscriptions used in those days. On either side of these sub-shrines are lion pillars.

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Lalbagh Flower Show - Dianthus

At flower show in Lalbagh Gardens at Bangalore on August 2010 there were exclusive collection of various flowers on display. There were also Dianthus flowers of different colors.

Kailashnath Temple, Kanchipuram

There are many beautiful temples in Kanchipuram (State: Tamil Nadu). One such architectural gem is Kailashnath Temple. This temple is unique in its architecture.

In the late 7th century this temple was built by Pallava dynasty rulers Rajasimha and his son Mahendravarman.

It is an early structural temple, built of sandstone. The walls and sikhara of this temple are filled with great sculptures, and paintings. This temple of Lord Shiva has a four-storeyed octagonal sikhara.

A temple wall encloses the temple complex. The inner and outer walls of these shrines are adorned with fresco paintings while the walls of the main temple are profusely decorated with sculptures. There are all together row of 64 small shrines in the inner walls.

Jama Masjid, Bijapur

The Jama Masjid is the first and largest mosque of Bijapur (State: Karnataka) city. Built in 1686, during the rule of Adil Shah I, the Jama Masjid is a simple and huge rectangular structure with graceful arches.

The grand architecture includes a huge hall having 45 compartments. Above this hall resting on the beams is the massive onion-shaped dome. The masjid occupies an area of over 10,000 square meters and can accommodate 2250 devotees.

On the either side of the arches there are small carvings at the top. The interior of each compartments are carved beautifully.

The only interior decoration at the mosque is Mihrab shown above.

Lalbagh Flower Show - Clarkia

At flower show in Lalbagh Gardens at Bangalore on January 2011 there were exclusive collection of various flowers on display. There were also Clarkia flowers of different colors. Below are some of the purple colored Clarkia flowers.

Below are some of the white colored Clarkia flowers.

Kanchipuram, City of Thousand Temples

Kanchipuram (State: Tamil Nadu) is located at a distance of 75 kms from Chennai. This city was the capital of the rulers of Cholas and Pallava between the 6th and 8th centuries had over a thousand temples. But now only hundred are still around and all of them are worth a visit.

Apart from its temples, this small town is also famous for best silk and cotton sarees woven from pure mulberry silk in the country.

Some of the temples that I have seen here are:

• Kailasanath Temple (1, 2, 3)
  
• Varadaraja Perumal Temple
• Vaikunta Perumal Temple
• Ekambareswarar Temple (1, 2)
  
• Kamakshi Amman Temple

We shall explore this place in more details.

Ibrahim Roza - Mosque, Bijapur

The Ibrahim Roza complex located in the western outskirts of the Bijapur (State: Karnataka) city. Built sometime in 16th century, it comprises of a tomb and mosque. For now we will concentrate on the details of mosque.

The mosque has perfect domes that is topped with crescent moons. There are symmetrical minarets on four corners of the mosque.

The doorways with the distinctive pointed arch lead into cool high-ceiling chambers. The carvings on the arches are very grand.

If keenly observed one can see a stone chain hanging from the top. 

The symmetry in the arches are worth noticing and interiors are well decorated and properly carved.

Lalbagh Flower Show - Orchids - 5

At flower show in Lalbagh Gardens at Bangalore on August 2010 there were exclusive collection of Orchids on display. The colors were amazing. Below are some of the orchids on display:
There were stalls selling the Orchids plants outside the flower show. The price ranged from Rupees 600 to 1200 depending on the variety.

Jalakanteswara Temple, Vellore

This large Jalakanteswara Temple in Vellore (State: Tamil Nadu) is located in the Vellore Fort, near the north wall of the fort. This ancient temple was built around 1566 in the Vijayanagar style. Jalakanteswara means “Lord Shiva residing in the water”.

temple has a Nataraja Shiva deity on the northern altar, and on the western altar is a Shiva-linga. The temple has 2 court yard, one is inner prakara and the other is outer prakara. The outer prakara has huge Gopuram on the southern side which is 30m (100ft) high, seven-storey made of blue granite. Temple has some beautiful sculptures on the ceiling and some richly, carved pillars and monoliths.

The temple has beautiful Kalayana Mandapam. The carvings in this pillared hall are some of the most impressive in India. The outer pillars have sculptures of rearing horses and dragons. The inner pillars have sculptures of yalis, which are lion-like creatures.

Zones of Hampi

The World Heritage Site, Hampi (state: Karnataka) is divided into many zones based on the their significance. This 14th century flourishing capital of the Vijaynagar Empire spread across the rocky terrain of 26 sq.km had plenty of palaces, temples which exhibited its rich culture and wealth in its hay days.

The Sacred Centre is the religious part of Hampi as a number of temples are located here. Some of the old temples in the area are still functioning. Some of the important structures in this area includes the Badavilinga Temple, Kadalekalu Ganesha, Krisha Temple, Virupaksha Temple and Vittala Temple.

The Royal Centre is the part that is mostly populated with the courtly and military structures. Some of the important structures in this area includes the Elephant Stables, Lotus Mahal, Queen's Bath, Mahanavami Dibba, Stepped Tank and the Hazara Rama Temple.

Anegondi is the area on the other side of the river which seperates it from other zones. Important places here are Hanuman Temple and Ranganath Temple.

This zones are connected by road and coracles through the river.

Flowering Tree - African Tulip Tree

Bangalore known as Garden City true to its name as lot of flowering trees on either side of most of the roads. They bloom with flowers of various colors. One such tree is African Tulip Tree also known as Spathodea Campanulata.

The cup shaped deep-orange flowers attract nectar-feeding birds and insects. The flower buds form a ball-shaped cluster and these buds contain water. The outer buds bloom first before the inner ones. The flowers in clusters stand out from the rest of the green foliage around it.

When in full bloom this tree is a grand sight to watch. Most of the year the tree has dark green leaves. 



The tree grows as wide as it grows tall producing an immense shade.